Daniel Ricciardo has completed his first laps for McLaren in a private event with its 2021 Formula One car.
Ricciardo and McLaren unveiled the team’s 2021 car on Monday, the first of this year’s cars to break cover for the new season. The team is conducting private testing at Silverstone this week.
The Australian driver shared driving duties with teammate Lando Norris. Teams are allowed two 100km track days for filming purposes through the year.
F1 teams will complete three days of testing in Bahrain between March 12-14, ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 28.
Ricciardo has signed a three-year deal, meaning he is with the team through 2023. This year sees McLaren return to Mercedes power, having secured F1’s class-leading engine for the foreseeable future.
Next year F1 hopes to reset the competitive order by a revamp of the aerodynamic rules.
McLaren has not won a race since Jenson Button’s victory at the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix, while it has not won a championship since Lewis Hamilton’s maiden drivers’ title in 2008.
McLaren is hoping to continue its upwards trajectory of the past few years. Its third-place finish in the constructors’ championship last year was its best since 2012.